Claro Walnut jig/worm rod

[Go Time]

This is my second rod build. I started with a Mudhole CRB IS701H (which is a rather cheap blank), and turned 3 pieces of Claro Walnut for the grips. They were finished with 5 coats of polyurethane and the pictures don't do the grips justice. The wood really pops in person. For the guides I stuck with black thread and they turned out alright, I'm definitely still learning. I'd post a pic of the wraps but I'm having a hard time getting a clear picture. Won't get to fish with this rod till the weekend so hopefully I'm satisfied with it, nothing else I'll hang it on the wall ;D

[J Francho]

Nice looking rod.  For shooting shiny things, you did good by using bright, diffused, natural light.  If you have enough light, you can try an old trick.  Cover the front of the lens with a good polarized sunglasses lens.  That'll cut the glare, if it works.  Not all cameras can handle it.  Be sure to clean all the goobers off the carpet, too.

[Go Time]

Be sure to clean all the goobers off the carpet, too.

Good call ;D I went ahead and did a little cropping...

Thanks for the compliment and the camera tips!

[.dsaavedra.]

this is something i haven't seen before and i like it

[Captain Obvious]

Looks great but I wondering how it grips. Seems like it might slip if it gets wet?

[Go Time]

Looks great but I wondering how it grips. Seems like it might slip if it gets wet?

I haven't used this rod yet but my first build is a short handled grip with the same finish and I used it one handed roll casting for a few hours in 40 degree weather without a hiccup. I never dipped my hand in water, but my hand did get wet handling a few bass But only time will tell.

Thanks Dave! I love how it turned out.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Looks good. It's nice to have a fall back for grips with increasing cost and decreasing availability of high grade cork.

Those Rod Builder blanks are great to learn on and experiment with. They aren't a bad blank either. I use them for customer builds when budget is a concern.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

Do you notice any weight/balance issues when you change the grips to wood. Seems like a great way to add weight to the butt end of the reel without using the chair thingys and washers.

[Go Time]

Thanks DVT! You should think about posting some of your customer rods on your website. I'd like to see them...

Ninja- In my opinion I don't notice much difference in the weight of the wood to the weight of cork but I haven't fished with these much. With a Quantum Accurist on this rod it balances ~1.5" in front of the nub above the reel seat. But I don't think this would be a practical substitute for a balancing system.

[MickD]

Very nice job-fits to reel seat are excellent, no epoxy showing, nice finish. I don't think you will have any trouble at all with slipping-the major factor in avoiding slipping is not the material, it is the shape, and yours looks good (tapering to the rear, hand gets "trapped" between trigger and the taper.  One thing to consider on future builds is to cut the reel seat down to a dimension that allows normal reels to be installed-most reel seats are about 1/4-1/2 in longer than necessary.  EVA or rubberized cork will probably be more durable for the butt knob that regular cork, but I expect you'll be taking good care of this rod!

[Go Time]

Thanks Mick! I'm pretty proud of her. The only thing I would do differently is like you said use rubberized cork on the butt. But I'm still learning so these things are to be expected, if the cork crumbles away I'll replace it with the rubberized stuff.

I will definitely consider cutting down the reel seat next time. What is the best way to go about doing that to get a clean, square cut?

[MickD]

Some use a hacksaw with masking tape applied to guide to a good, 90 degree, cut, and I"ve done it that way.  But it's tough to get the quality you want.  The best way I've found is to mount the reel seat into a "drill press" vise, the little ones that have jaws about 3 inches long and that slide on the surface of the drill press bed.  Carefully  mount the seat as low in the jaws as you can, be sure it is square, then CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY run it through a table saw with a fine pitch carbide tipped blade.  I've done this on both graphite and metal seats without problems.  Know exactly where your fingers are and use safety glasses.  If in doubt, use the hacksaw.  Maybe you can cobble up a better guide than I've been able to do.